Satellite imagery from a pad in Dawson but no permits issued… this is what Google has to say about the image.
Yes, this satellite image captures a multi-well pad complex during active development in the Midland Basin. In modern Permian Basin operations, companies use a “factory” or cube development approach to drill and complete multiple horizontal wells from a single surface footprint. [1, 2, 3]
The aerial layout reveals the highly structured layout of temporary industrial infrastructure required for these tight shale operations: [1]
- The Drilling Rig and Mast: Located near the center-left, cast against its own dark shadow extending onto the caliche pad.
- The Wellheads/Cellars: Arranged in a tight, parallel line (the “well row”) allowing the rig to slide from one well to the next along integrated walking rails. [1, 2]
- Fluid Management & Tanks: The large, dark-lined rectangle in the top right is a temporary lined mud pit or water containment impoundment, paired with rows of mobile frac tanks. [1]
- Logistics & Storage: Multi-colored modular shipping containers and equipment trailers line the bottom perimeter, housing tools, electrical generators, and control hubs. [1]
- Support Fleet: Dozens of support trucks and crew vehicles line the cleared perimeter and access roads. [1, 2]
Anyone have any idea what SM is going? Google says the HZ will be drilled from this pad to the north.